Friday, November 22, 2013

Friday Instamatics!

It's time for a few more old Instamatics! Courtesy of "Mr. X", who fights crime by night.

Ah, Tomorrowland in it's glory days, as seen from the Peoplemover track. The Peoplemover "ate" guests so fast that the blue train in front of us is practically empty. If only I could enjoy Adventure Thru Inner Space once more (I loved it best when it had all of  the Monsanto ads, weirdly!) and hey, why not take a spin on the Rocket Jets for a dizzying view of the land.


Walt's Imagineers certainly allowed plenty of room for massive crowds when they built "It's a Small World" - nowadays that can be seen for the good idea it was. In the photo, however, I am reminded of the early days of Bear Country, when there were wide, virtually-empty boulevards leading to a single attraction.


Look, Tomorrowland had a chocolate waterfall way before Willy Wonka ever dreamed of such a thing.


Only one more day of travel, I'll be home tomorrow night! Thanks for checking in, everybody.

14 comments:

bigbrian-nc.com said...

This sure looks like the Disneyland of my youth! The big wide pavement slab in front of iasw reminds me that some things really are better today I thing having the walkway along the side really is a better use of the space, especially when it comes to parade time.

Alonzo P Hawk said...

Thanks to Mr X. The first picture is unique. Not an angle we see too often. He managed to pack it with ATIS sign, Mary Blair wall, Peoplemover and even a glimpse of the HoJo's to the east. Well Done.

That Disney chocolate must have been rich as it was twice mixed by both waterfall and mermaid fin. Agustus Glupe would be drooling and trying to get over the safety rail.

K. Martinez said...

What a great all around set today. Thanks, Mr. X.

I love the Mark II Monorail Blue on its gradual ascent to the upper curve gliding over the submarine falls.

@APH - You can add the G.E. logo and Rocket Jets to that image too! It is a great shot.

Anonymous said...

...and HoJo's in the background.

Tom said...

Those aqua peoplemover cars had better get out of the way of that monorail! I can't watch...

Melissa said...

I've started to think of Mr. X's Instamatics as "InstamatX."

Anonymous said...

Oh, these are wonderful. Straight to the desktop. Thank you Major, I hope you are enjoying your time off.

We'll be here to welcome you back, although we all wish it could be in 1968 Disneyland.

JG

Melissa said...

I've never seen the Mary Blair Tomorrowland mural from that angle, with everyday action going on around it. It's even more charming in this context.

And I love the couple in the second picture, who seem to have split up two suits of clothes: mustard top and gray trousers for him, and gray top and mustard trousers for her. They look like civilian extras from a Star Trek episode.

TokyoMagic! said...

I still have my It's A Small World and Main Street Electrical Parade picture discs that I purchased at that Small World Souvenir stand on the far right of the second pic. It looks like the stand might have been in the process of opening when this was taken. There is a half-drawn curtain across the front of it and the postcard rack next to it still has it's protective tarp over it. The shadows on the ground indicate early morning. I also still have the souvenir caricature that I purchased from the stand on the far left. Although by then, they had placed some small "castle turrets" on the roof and also had painted the stand with some brighter colors.

Nancy said...

Just gorgeous....what a beautiful day in the neighborhood! :-)

Major Pepperidge said...

bigbrain-nc.com, yep,, that is the Tomorrowland that I remember (though perhaps my memories are from a few years later). It was so great!

Alonzo, Mr. X handed me the bag of Instamatic negatives and apologized for their lack of quality. And I think they're great! Don't forget about the churning of chocolate by submarine propellers.

K. Martinez, isn't it funny how those old corporate logos manage to warm our hearts when in relation to Disneyland? I know that ordinarily I don't get too warm and fuzzy when I see a GE logo.

Anon, yes, you can see HoJo's! I'll bet it was pretty new then.

Melissa, I will tell him that! He'll get a kick out of it.

JG, I did enjoy my trip, but it is nice to be back, too.

Melissa again, I wonder if we'll ever get an elevated view of Tomorrowland again. I've heard rumors of some sort of Star Wars attraction that would take you up to part of the Peoplemover track, which would be cool. Mustard color clothes, I remember those!

TokyoMagic!, you're right, it does appear to be pretty early in the morning. I didn't even notice the tarp over the postcard rack. Have you ever put a scan of that caricature on your blog?

Nancy, I do love those blue skies at the park!

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, I haven't posted a scan of my souvenir caricature yet. It's on my very long list of "future posts"....I just need to hop to it!

Melissa said...

You know, I keep hearing that corporations don't see the ROI in sponsoring Disney attractions anymore, but is it really possible to measure that kind of public goodwill?

Well, I guess it probably is. There's not much psychologists, actuaries, and MBA's can't measure when they out their heads and pencils together.

Chuck said...

The uncrowded nature of the PeopleMover was part of its charm. Gliding along over Tomorrowland in a private train - especially at night - was a thrill that just can't be repeated today.

I remember my wife taking me to DL one evening right after coming home from a deployment, and we had a PeopleMover train all to ourselves. Just the two of us in the quiet darkness, watching the world go by. That's one of my favorite memories of DL (and we even behaved ourselves for the security cameras).